The Story of Delta
by WolverineNWT
Summary: This is going to be a story of a water bender who's abandoned by his family and adopted into an Earth kingdom lta knows that there's something different about him and he finds out that he's a waterbender.This is going to be about his journey to learn more about his past and along the way he's going to meet some interesting people.Time period is 5,000 yrs before ATLA.
1. Chapter 1

Book One: The Story of Delta

Chapter 1 Introductions

_** Summary of Chapter: This is a story about someone who was abandoned by the Northern Water Tribe and found by an Earth Kingdom village couple**_ **who adopted him into their family. While he grows up Delta doesn't feel out of place, but he does know that somethings different about him. In this first chapter we meet him and his family. We also get to see that he is about to become a man in a ceremony that his village does for their young men. It's not too action packed but wait till you see the next few chapters. **

**I'm going to give the story a T rating mainly because it's going to be in The Last Airbender's past some 5,000 years before the events of The Last Airbender. So logically it seems like it would have a pretty violent past. But the first few chapters won't be too violent. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Avatar The Last Airbender. Michael and Bryan do. Just some character's and idea's are my own and my friends. **

_"Lakota I need you to take my wife and children and get them away from here." "But sir if you stay you'll die," replied Lakota. "Which is why I need you to get them as far away from here as you can," replied the chief. The scene changed to four people being tossed and turned in a boat on the sea. One was a man and the other was a woman. The woman was protecting two baskets which must have been carrying her children. All of a sudden a big wave rocked the boat and one of the baskets got tossed up in the air and out into the sea. The woman screamed and the man tried to grab the basket._

"Delta, Delta, Delta wake up," Lian said. "Huh what is it, what's going on?" asked Delta. "You were shaking in your sleep and you were saying strange things are you okay?" Lian seemed to be more confused than anything after what she had seen. "Yeah I'm fine I just need to get up and get moving and I'll be better," Delta replied. "Well I hope it didn't rob you of your sleep too much, you've got a big day today," she said. "Really what day is it?" Delta thought he knew but he wanted her to tell him. "It's the day you get to become a man," she replied. "Oh right the trials and the ceremony afterwards. Well guess I better get up and start getting ready." Let me start my story by telling you my name. I'm Delta. I'm from an Earth Kingdom village that's in the northwestern part of the Earth Kingdom. You've already met my sister Lian; always a sweet heart and looking out for me and my other brothers.

As I got dressed my mother came in and started crying. "Come on mom why are you crying?" I asked her. "It's just I don't want you to get hurt today, but I know that's not going to be possible." "Hey don't worry about it you know that dad's been training me for something like this since I could walk and talk right?" "I know but it's awfully tough to see your children growing up right before your eyes." "It seems like yesterday when your father and I found you on the beach." That's something that I should explain. See apparently I'm not from the Earth Kingdom. My parents had found me in a basket at the mouth of the river and brought me back to their village. My dad was a General in the army of the Earth Kingdom. He had just gotten home from a war between earth and fire benders on the other side of the Earth Kingdom. He and his wife went down to the mouth of the river. My mom was a healer and she went to gather herbs and other things that could be used for healing. My dad just wanted to spend time with her and protect her as well. My mom was walking away from the shore, when she turned and saw the strangest thing. A basket floating on the waves washed up on the shore. Then she heard the crying. Dropping her basket she rushed over to it with my dad close behind. They opened it up and saw me.

"It's a baby," said Chun. "What are we going to do with it?" "Well we're not going to let it stay here and catch a cold," replied Shen. "But what will the village think?" Chun asked a little uncertain. "They'll think that we're being responsible people and since no one else is around to care for the child we'll do it. Besides I can't see the village getting upset over something like this." "Oh all right well what are we going to call him?" Chun asked. My dad thought about it and then said "how about water boy?" My mother scowled at him. "It was just a joke. Well how about the name Delta?" "It isn't very traditional but I can't think up of anything else."

And since that day I've been living here the peaceful village of Three Rivers, aptly named because we're close to three rivers that flow into the ocean. Just then my brothers Zhong and Shang came in with my dad Shen. They had just got back from hunting for the feast that would happen after the trials. "You ready bro!" exclaimed Shang. "You know it," I replied. Shang and I were the oldest teenagers in our household. Being of age we were both going to participate in the man making ceremony with the other boys in our village.

I guess I should explain the man making ceremony. It's an initiation rite so that the boys can become men. It has three steps to it. Step one you have to fight a warrior from the tribe with a quarter staff. If you can't beat the warrior with it then you fail that step in the ceremony and can't become a man that year. Step two is to fight another warrior in hand to hand combat with just your hands no weapons. If you make it past this level then you need to fight someone with a wooden sword. During this level there is an area of 5X5 square wooden posts erected where the participants have to weave in and out to find each other. If you do all of this you will become a man of the village.

There are some other options available in this process as well. If you want to fight more than one warrior you may do so. If you want to fight someone from your initiation group you may do that as well, although most people don't choose that option. The horns started blowing. We all looked at Shen. "Well what are you waiting for?" he said. We all dashed towards the place where the trials would take place. Just as we left a messenger ran up to our house and gave our father a piece of paper. His face became more serious. "What is it?" asked Chun. "The king of Omashu is coming to see the trials and the ceremony."


	2. The Trials

The Trials

For a moment we all stood stunned. It must be very important for the King to come all to see our trials.

"Kids keep going to where the trials will be held," said Shen.

We started walking again and wondered what this would mean for our group of boys who were to take part of this tradition.

"Why would the King of Omashu want to travel all the way to our village to see our trials?" Chun inquired.

"There are a few reasons that I can think of, but none of them will be fact until I meet with the King," replied Shen, "Now we need to prepare the village for his arrival and have someone make preparations for his family and any soldiers who accompany him." Shen said this without any bitterness in his voice. One of his great qualities was that he was a very generous host. Plus he had served as a general in the King's army.

"I'll go and see who would be willing to share their homes with the King and his men, although I don't know if the people are going to be happy about it," said Chun.

"I know but it's best to extend hospitality and swallow our pride even if it's for a few days," Shen stated.

As we made our way to the arena where the trials would be held I spotted Chan and Ilia heading that way.

"Hey Chan hold on a second," I called. Both Chan and Ilia turned and Ilia seemed to go red for some reason.

"Delta I would've expected you to be in the arena already, what kept you?" Chan replied. I fell into step with him. Ilia fell behind with my brothers and sister and started chatting with Lian.

"Just got some interesting news before we caught up to you guy's. The King of Omashu is coming to see the trials and the ceremony."

That stopped Chan dead in his tracks, "Why would the King bother coming all the way out here? We're the village that's the farthest away from his city."

"I've got a few ideas. Maybe he wants more men in his army, or maybe he needs some more entertainers at his court. Nothing will be certain until he comes here and announces his plans." I looked back at Ilia, "Hey, any reason Ilia's acting differently around me?" Chan had noticed it too.

"You mean it's not obvious?" he replied in mock amazement.

Delta shook his head although he had an idea. "She likes you D," Chan said, "She has since the two of you could walk and talk."

His reply took me off guard. First off he's one of the only people who call me D for a nickname. Secondly I knew that I liked Ilia as well. She was a very pretty girl with long black hair and cute green eyes. She was also rather tall for the age of sixteen. I guess I had been paying more attention to my father's lessons about warfare and hunting and farming than to the girls in my village.

"Honestly I don't know why you've never made a move on her," Chan said.

To me the answer was simple. I know most people are content with their place in life. But for me I felt out of place. I couldn't place my finger on it exactly but I knew that there were things out in the world that I was connected to, and I wanted to find out more about my past. Who was the woman in the painting that I had back at home? Why did I have a strange set of traveling clothes that fit me perfectly that weren't from my parents?

"Delta, you okay?" Chan asked.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just lost in my thoughts."

We had finally gotten to the arena where the trials would be held. The arena was in the shape of a large rectangle. It was built by Kang, the only Earthbender in our village. Our village is fairly big considering how far away we live from any of the cities. At least 250 to 300 people live here. Most of them are farmers growing crops, although we have a few blacksmiths, carpenters, hunters, and other skilled artisans. Almost everyone was seated in the arena with a few exceptions; my parents and some of the boys who were going to be a part of the ceremony. The entrance to the arena was located on the east side. It was built going north to south so that anyone who was in it wouldn't have any unfair advantage of using the sun for a weapon.

Finally the other boys who were missing showed up. Among them was Ming. A tall boy, he was about my height with black hair and black eyes and he was very muscular to say the least.

"Leave it to Ming to be one of the last guys in the arena," muttered Chan who was standing next to me.

I smiled and nodded in agreement. Ming was always one of the more arrogant boys in our village. As the other boys got into line, Shang walked over to where Chan and I were standing.

"Any ideas where our parents are?" he asked.

"No, but if I had to guess they're preparing for the King's arrival and probably getting a reception committee ready for him. That's what I'd be doing if I knew the King was coming to our village."

Just then we heard a blaring sound very close to our village. Everyone stopped talking and rose from their seats.

A herald from the King's party ran into the tunnel and said in a loud voice that rang throughout the arena, "The King of Omashu and his party are here to witness the trials for this village."

Then the King walked in with his retinue behind him. Next to him was my father. They were talking as if they were old friends - which they were. As the King entered we all bowed to him.

"Rise everyone, there's no need to pay homage to me, especially on a day like today," said the King.

We all rose from our kneeling positions.

My father said, "Your highness, it isn't every day that we such an important person is in our midst. Plus it would be ungracious not to give you the respect that is due to you."

"You always seem to know what to say Shen. I guess that's one of the reasons my sister married you."

There was a rustle in the crowd at this remark. Even Shang looked taken aback.

Chan looked at me, "You never told me your mom was related to the King!"

"Probably because I didn't know for sure until now, that and the fact that Chun isn't my real mother may have had something to do with it," I replied.

This took both Chan and Shang by surprise. Before they could say anything, the King walked over to where our group was standing.

"So Shen, which boys are yours?" asked the King.

My dad motioned to Shang and me to come forward, "Delta and Shang are going to be in the trials this year," he said with a touch of pride in his voice.

The King stopped in front of me and did a double take, "This one doesn't have the look of your family. Is he the one that you found floating in a basket all those years ago?"

"He is. Chun and I decided to take him in rather than leave him to the wild," replied Shen.

"No need to sound defensive Shen. It was a very noble deed that you've done," The King looked at me again and whispered, "When you've passed the trials and the ceremony is complete, come and see me. I have some knowledge of your past that I want to share with you."

Of all the things he could have said to me, this was expected least of all. I thought he would have made some remark about my eyes being different from everyone else's. But this was totally unexpected. I bowed to him again. He nodded and walked to the stands with his retinue. This time it seemed as if the entire stadium was looking at me.

Then the King said "Let the trials begin!"

Kang, the master of the trials stepped forward. He would determine who would go first and last as well as who would pass.

"Alright maggots stand up straight, front and center!" he barked.

We all stood to attention. We had a relatively big class this year. About twenty five to thirty boys were going to participate in the trials.

Kang started giving us a speech. "Today we get to see which of you deserve our respect and those who will be humiliated and have to wait another year."

We had a few boys in our group who still hadn't passed the ceremony. Ming was one of those few.

"You all know what you have to do so I'll only say a few things about the tasks themselves. In the first round you'll fight one of the warriors with a quarterstaff. If you beat him then you move on to hand to hand combat with just your hands and feet as your weapons. Lastly, there's the Square of Confusion. Here you will have to weave in and out of twenty five stone pillars in order to find your opponent. If you do all of this you will become a man. Fail any of these tasks and you will be the talk of not just the village, but of the King's court as well."

Kang finished his speech and we waited to see who would be called up first.

"Chan son of Wu and Chu,"

Chan let out a small sigh at being chosen first.

I nudged him, "Don't worry man. You'll make it."

He stepped forward and Kang asked him how many warriors he wanted to fight, "I'll fight two warriors," he replied.

This seemed to take Kang and the crowd by surprise. Very few boys take on more than one opponent. Chan was setting the bar high with this announcement. I looked to the stands and saw Ilia sitting next to her parents who were sitting next to my family. She seemed as astonished as anyone in the crowd. I turned back to see how Chan would do.

The two warriors closed in on him. Chan stood his ground and took up a defensive position. I knew that when he took up this stance no one would be able to beat him. The warrior on his left made a move to get around him behind his blind side. Rather than let him do this Chan ran in between the men and rolled on the ground. Just as he rolled the two guys swung at him but hit only air - and themselves in the process. After Chan got up he whacked them both to make sure they were down.

The crowd cheered and Kang said "Round two begin hand to hand combat!"

Chan and the two warriors put their quarterstaffs aside and then took up fighting stances. The warrior to Chan's right moved in on him. Chan blocked his punch and countered with a kick to his side. The warrior easily defended this. As this was going on the other warrior got on Chan's blindside and tried to hold him. This was a big mistake; as soon as Chan felt this he tossed the guy onto the ground, kneed him in the gut and then kicked him in the head. This knocked the warrior out. The other warrior tried kicking Chan but he grabbed hold of his leg and hit him in the face, punched him in the chest and released his hold of the guy. The warrior fell back and Chan kicked him in the stomach to make sure he was down. The crowd cheered. I looked up and saw Ilia smile with pride at Chan's accomplishments so far.

"Now move aside so I can make the Square of Confusion," said Kang.

The Square of Confusion is an area of rocky pillars that stands in a formation which is 5x5 pillars wide and 5x5 pillars long. During this stage the initiate is given his choice of wooden sword. There were katana's, and jian models to choose from. Knowing Chan he would choose the katana. Even though these were wooden swords they could still hurt a lot. Chan stood at his end which was the north end and waited for the signal from Kang, "Begin!"

We didn't get a great look at what happened but we did see Chan doing what he was supposed to. After three rounds Chan exited the area and the crowd cheered him.

The next boy who was called went in and it started over again. Most got through their trials without too much difficulty. Shang barely made it but he pulled through. For some reason no one wanted to fight more than two people at once. I knew that I wouldn't let Chan say he was better than me because he fought two guys which is more than what most of the other guys did.

The sun was starting to go down in the west and there were only three of us left. The waiting had to be the worst part because you didn't know when your name would be called and you had to stay in place while the others congratulated each other on making it through.

Finally Kang called my name, "Delta son of Shen and Chun!"

The crowd stirred at the sound of my name being called. Even the King took more interest in me.

"How many men will you fight Delta?" asked Kang.

Knowing that people would look at me differently after this moment I replied steadily, "Three."


	3. Delta's Trial

Delta's Trial

**Hey guys here's a new chapter i hope you like it. Delta's fight is based off of the fight where Tex fights Maine, Wyoming, and York in season 9 of Red Vs Blue, which i don't own. That is owned by Rooster Teeth and 343 industries owns the Halo franchise. It's still rated T for two minor swear words in the story. **

About half way through the trials Chun managed to make her way into the arena and found where here Shen was sitting. Naturally he was right next to the King who about half way up the stands and enjoying the shade of the stadium. As she walked over to them she heard "Shang son of Shen and Chun." She walked faster so she could see her eldest son start his trial.

"Mom where have you been?" asked Lian.

"Oh you know getting things ready for after the trials. Found some places for the King and his retinue to stay while they're here."

"Mom why didn't you ever tell us that you were related to the King?" asked Zhong. Chun froze in her seat and looked over at Shen. _No he wouldn't tell anyone that I was royalty. _Then she looked at her brother. _I bet he probably said something unexpected and that's why everyone has been looking at me differently. _

"I don't know I guess I had other things on my mind," replied Chun.

After this conversation Chun looked over at her husband and brother. Both were looking at Shang's trial with an intense gaze. She looked down as well. Shang was having some trouble with hand to hand combat. The warrior he was fighting easily had the edge when it came to size and strength. But Shang was one of the cleverest boys in the group. He managed to figure out the guy's weak points and brought him down with a few quick jabs in some key body areas. Then they moved on to the Square of Confusion, which was the nickname of the last trial given to it by previous initiates and Kang loved it so much because that's what it was really.

Shang had a little trouble at first but when he found his opponent he managed to block his blow with his wooden sword and then counter and knock the sword of his opponent's hand. He then struck him in the back, legs, and finally the head. The crowd cheered and Kang said, "Again." The two took their places and faced off two more times. Shang won both rounds and he was permitted to stand with the others who had passed. Chun noticed that Chan was amongst their ranks but she didn't see Delta. Then she saw him still waiting to be called. _He'll be fine when it's turn._ She looked back to Shen and her brother, Chung, who were in deep conversation while they checked the initiates occasionally to see who passed.

"How are things outside of our village?" Shen asked.

"Not as good as I hoped they would be," replied the King.

"Why what's been going on?" Shen inquired.

"Since the victory that we had over the firebenders in the East all those years ago, strange things have been happening."

"Like what?" Shen seemed more irritated by Chung's lack of a solid answer.

"For one we've had to cut down the army almost by half since the war ended. A lot of the men had fulfilled their pledges so they had the right to leave and start families of their own. But one of the backlashes of that is that there have been more robbers on the highways and more and more people are afraid to journey on the roads."

"What about the Avatar though? Isn't he supposed to be able to stop things like this?" Shen asked.

Chun and several others looked around at the mention of the Avatar.

"No one has seen him in the Earth Kingdom since he was here for his earthbending training, "replied Chung.

Shen nodded his head. Those who knew how the Avatar worked knew that he or she had to master all four elements and keep the balance within the world.

"Last I've heard he's at the Southern Air temple learning about airbending and maybe even learning how to master the Avatar State," as he finished this, the King asked for more water to be brought and one of the servants brought him some.

"Well it shouldn't be too much longer and he should be able to come and help the Earth Kingdom out right?" Shen said.

"That's the main idea but something seems off about this Avatar," Chung said as he took put his cup down.

"What do you mean?" Shen asked.

"Well, when he was in Omashu, he was very attentive towards mastering the art of earthbending. But he seemed to ignore or decide that the spiritual aspects of being the Avatar were unimportant," Chung replied.

"That's not a good sign for us. Or the world," said Shen.

"No it isn't and I don't know how he's going to respond to the teachings of the Fire Nation or the Air Nomads."

"Chung would your visit and your guesses about the Avatar and his training have anything to do with what you said to Delta before the Trials?" Shen asked.

After hearing Delta's name Chun looked back towards them.

"I wish I could say that I was lying but I'm not. It has a great deal to do with him and his past," replied Chung.

As they were talking Kang called out, in a loud voice, "Delta son of Shen and Chun".

This brought their attention back to the arena. They noticed that Delta was the only initiate left.

"How many men do you wish to fight Delta?" asked Kang.

Delta replied in a very calm voice "Three."

There was an audible gasp from the crowd.

Delta knew that people would have reactions about this number mainly because no one had ever fought three men in the trials before. They all knew about his rivalry with Chan but this was beyond that to Delta. He knew that he had always felt different from everyone else. People might call him arrogant in doing this, but that's not how he viewed the situation. He had taken his father's lessons about fighting to heart and when he wasn't busy with farm or house work he was training. He also felt that if he could beat three guys in the trials he may gain a bit more respect from everyone else in the village. He had always felt like he had something to prove to the others, but didn't know what. Maybe it was because he was adopted and he wanted the people to know that he was as much a member of their village as the next man. Whatever happened afterwards, Delta knew things would be different.

Kang looked at him with a somewhat skeptical look, "Well since you are the last initiate I do believe that in accordance with tradition you may choose who you want to fight whether it's someone from your initiate group or some of our other warriors."

"One of the people I'd like to fight is Ming from my group. I'll let you choose the other two fighters," replied Delta.

This seemed to take everyone including Kang by surprise. "Very well," replied Kang.

He walked over to the group of initiated men and told Ming that he was going back in. Ming nodded and glanced my way with an evil look in his eyes.

Then Kang walked over to where Chan and Shang were standing. He talked to both of them and Chan ended up stepping into the arena standing next to Ming. There were murmurs in the crowd at this. Delta thought he knew why Kang had selected Chan. It was probably because he had fought two guys and wanted to see how I would handle fighting one of my biggest rivals. Finally Kang found a warrior Katashi who was not from my group.

Outside of the arena Ji and Ju-Long (members of the King's retinue and very skilled earthbenders) were walking, waiting for the trials to end.

"Hey what was the meeting that you had with the King all about Ji?" Ju-long asked.

"Hmm you know I'm not supposed to talk about stuff like that to you guys," replied Ji.

"Come on help me out here. I'm still getting heat for almost letting his daughter and Akela nearly die in that ambush on the way here," Ju-Long said this with some disgust in his mouth.

"Really you shouldn't have to worry about that too much. We were all tired and a little footsore so you shouldn't feel any shame about not responding quickly."

"Yeah but you weren't the one responsible for his immediate family during that part of the trip," replied Ju-Long.

"Well you can relax the meeting wasn't about you. He wanted to talk about the guys who we may be taking back with us as well as some plans he has for the soldiers living in Omashu and Taku," as he was saying this they noticed some of the soldiers who had traveled with them start running towards the arena.

One of them bumped into Ji.

"Sorry sir," the soldier apologized.

"Wait soldier why is everyone running?" Ji asked.

"It's the last initiate. He's squaring off against Chan, Ming, and one other warrior, we're going to watch. Hey guys wait up!" he said to his friends.

Ju-Long looked at Ji, "Three on one?"

"I've got to see this," Ji replied with more enthusiasm than he expected. No one fought more than two guys in any village trial he'd seen, "Copy right behind you."

As they entered the arena they saw the lone initiate take out his three opponents with one swipe of his quarterstaff.

"Wow he sure doesn't move like a recruit," said Ji with some admiration in his voice.

"No he doesn't," agreed Ju-Long.

They stood next to the King and kept watching the trial. They saw Delta knock two of the guys flat on their back again and then he put one of them in a head lock with the staff. As the other two got back up again, Delta released the other warrior, swung at the other two before they could regain their senses and then knocked the warrior who he had held out with a few quick jabs to his stomach and head. He repeated this with the other two warriors and on the last one he swung the staff so hard at the guy's head that part of the staff broke off because of the amount of force that was used.

Knowing that the round was pretty much over Delta threw the staff aside.

"Begin hand to hand combat," said Kang.

Delta moved towards his opponents with a lot of confidence.

"Okay guys let's just play it smart. Ming how about you flank left and…" Chan trailed off because Ming charged in and Delta punched him right back to them.

"Or you can just run in and get immobilized first. Katashi how about you flank right…" as he was speaking Katashi ran towards Delta and got punched back as well.

"What's the deal am I the only one on this team who knows how to talk?" Chan asked his downed group.

"I don't think talking's your problem," Delta had walked up to him during his small rant.

"Oh no," Chan he tried to punch Delta but he was too late.

Delta punched him in the gut and Chan went backwards. Then Delta kicked Katashi in the face and delivered a few quick punches to Ming's face and chest. He blocked Ming's counter blows and grabbed his arm. As he did this he threw Ming over his shoulder and kicked him towards Katashi and that put both of them down. Then he moved towards Chan who blocked his first few punches but then got hit in the face and Delta used his elbows to knock Chan a little off balance and then he punched him in the stomach which brought him down to the ground.

"Okay now that was impressive," remarked Ju-Long who had never seen anything like that.

Chan, Ming and Katashi got back up.

"Okay guys that obviously didn't work very well how about we stay in formation and… damn it why did I volunteer for this crap?" Chan said as both Ming and Katashi went in again without listening to him.

Delta blocked a punch from Ming then kicked him in the stomach. He then punched Katashi in the face which sent him flying. Finally Chan closed in with him trying to hit him with punches but Delta blocked every one and then he kicked his legs out from under him. He did the same thing to Ming.

Then Delta rolled onto his back and kicked both of his feet into Chan's abdomen. Turning this move into a roll he got back up and punched Ming in the chest. Then he moved over to Katashi and putting his arm through Katashi's arm rolled over his back and punched him in his side. Then he kicked Chan in the shoulder and that threw his balance off. Now he was between all three of the warriors. He kept his balance and blocked punches sent at him and gave punches as well. Then Ming accidentally hit Katashi in the head with a punch that Delta blocked. After which Delta punched Katashi in the head and at the same time kicked Ming in the face. He then ran over to Chan and put one foot on his left leg and kicked him in the face, ending the second trial.

"Now the third and final trial for the evening," announced Kang.

He then made the Square of Confusion rise out from the ground. Some of the warriors in the stands were talking about the last trial.

"I hate those wooden swords," commented Ju-Long.

"Stings like a spider bee," replied one of the other warriors.

They stopped talking to look at the trial get underway.

"Ming. Hey Ming, look I'm going to go left how about… or you do whatever you want go out and get killed break great teamwork guys," both Ming and Katashi had run out to find Delta who found them first and disarmed them and knocked them down with his sword.

"It's going to be a long trial," Chan sighed.

He kept moving through the maze hoping to find Delta. But Delta kept running rings around him confusing him. As he rounded a corner Delta surprised him and kneed him in the stomach and then hit him in the head with his sword. Quite a few rounds went by and none of them could find or bring him down. During one encounter both Ming and Katashi were down as usual.

Chan was hiding next to a pillar and was whispering to Ming, "Hey Ming can you see him?"

Suddenly he felt a wooden point behind his head, "Uh you know what never mind man I think I know where he is." Then Delta hit him again.

Another time they were all on the ground looking for him and they didn't realize that he was on one of the squares watching them. Then he went and jumped off the block and hit Katashi in the arm with his sword. After which he dodged swings from Chan and ducked under one from Ming, rolled and jumped off one of the pillars and punched Ming in the shoulder. Ming then knocked the sword out of Delta's hand causing it to go right up in the air.

The crowd gasped during this one because they thought Delta might get hit. But Delta dodged every one of Ming's blows and caught his sword and hit Ming when he didn't expect it. This knocked Ming down for good. Then Chan came swinging at him and Delta kicked Ming's body beneath him which Chan jumped over to avoid tripping himself. Chan then knocked Delta's sword to the ground and tried to swing his but realized that they were too close. Meanwhile Delta kicked his sword up into Chan's face which momentarily stunned him. Delta then took Chan's sword and hit him five or six times in the stomach and kicked him which threw him on his back. Delta struck Katashi in the face while he walked by him.

"After seven rounds the score is seven to zero in favor of Delta," announced Kang.

"Yeah in favor is the right phrase Kang," muttered Chan under his breath.

As he turned back to the maze he noticed both Ming and Katashi giving each other real swords.

"Hey what the hell are you guys up to?" he asked, as usual no reply from either of them.

Then they unsheathed their swords and started running and swinging with precision at Delta. Chan stood by in horror as he saw this. Meanwhile over on the sidelines Shang noticed this, "Are they using real swords during the Trials?"

"Looks like it," replied one of the initiates.

"But that's against tradition he could be killed," Shang said angrily, "Someone should tell the King or my father."

"Your father?" asked one of the initiates, "Who do you think approved of the swords in this final round?"

"Watch your mouth man," replied Shang heatedly.

Shang saw the two guys with swords move in on Delta. One of them swung at him but he dodged it and swung his wooden sword at Katashi and barely missed hitting Chan who ducked quickly. Delta was behind a pillar when Chan came around from behind.

"Look out," he called and Delta turned and pointed his sword at him, "Hey I'm trying to help," Chan replied.

"I don't need your help, never abandon your team."

As Delta was speaking Katashi gave Ming a knife and then he got up on the pillar that Delta was under. He kicked Chan back and then threw Katashi onto the ground as he jumped down from the pillar. Ming tried hitting him but Delta blocked him and then kicked him in the side. He then ran towards Ming who swung at him again but Delta ducked and used his sword to hit the knife out of Ming's hand and that caused Ming to pause and hold his hand for a bit. Then Katashi came at him with his sword and he managed to cut through a bit of Delta's tunic. This enraged Delta and he ran forward, disarmed Katashi and hit him numerous times in the stomach and when Katashi was about to fall to the ground Delta grabbed his head and smashed it against one of the pillars. After that he and Chan were standing around when Ming ran towards both of them. He tackled Delta into Chan and this threw both of them back. Delta recovered quickly and hit Ming in the stomach and head with his wooden sword and then kicked him backwards so that he ended up in front of a pillar.

As Ming was going down he threw the knife towards Chan. Time seemed to slow as Delta saw the knife leave Ming's hand. Summoning up the energy in his body Delta drew on all the moisture in the arena and pulled it towards Chan and turned it into a solid wall so that he would be safe. The knife lodged itself into the ice.

Delta walked slowly to the knife, knowing that his life was about to change. He pulled the knife from the ice ignoring the noise from the crowd and walked towards Ming, who was lying on the ground.

He hauled Ming up and said to him, "If I ever see you do something like that again to one of my friends, then you will wish that you had tied a stone around your neck and throw yourself into the ocean."

Delta walked back to where Chan was lying. He seemed to have a blank look in his eye as he stared at the wall of ice in front of him.

"Chan. Chan, are you alright?" Delta asked him.

Chan seemed to come back to reality, "Yeah I'm fine."

But by the tone of his voice Delta knew he was lying. He offered his hand and Chan grasped it.

"How did you do that?" Chan asked uneasily, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Isn't it obvious? I bent the water in the arena to save a friend of mine." Delta answered.

"But how…" Chan's question trailed off.

"It's a long story which I think my whole family may want to hear." Delta replied.

Then they noticed the pillars weren't up any more. They also saw Kang looking at Delta in, confusion, admiration, whatever he was thinking he seemed dumfounded as everyone else in the stands.

"Come on let's get back to my house and clean up," Delta said and started walking towards the exit to the arena.

Just then Shang ran up towards them and started asking questions but Delta would only tell him to wait for their families to arrive at the home so he wouldn't have to repeat his story.

"Fascinating," Chung said.

"What's fascinating?" asked Shen and Chun together.

"I knew there was something special about Delta, I just didn't know what kind of person he was until today," replied Chung, "Now you and Chan's family should go to your home and hear Delta's story. Send word to me when he has said his bit and you have asked your questions about him."

Chung nodded towards Shen and Chan's family. They bowed and left quickly.

**Reviews are welcome. I don't know when I'll get another chance to write the next chapter but expect a post either on the weekends or on Mondays. **


	4. History of Secrets Part 1

History of Secrets Part 1

After they left the stadium the two families were deep in conversation.

"I didn't know that Delta was a waterbender," commented Wu.

"Neither did I," said his wife Chu.

Both of them looked at Shen and Chun, "I knew there was something different about him and not just because of his eye color," Chun said.

"That and the fact that we found him in a basket on the shoreline may have something to do with us never knowing of this ability," added Shen.

"But didn't you guys have any mishaps with him when he was growing up, or did something ever catch your attention that seemed irregular for Delta?" asked Chu.

Shen and Chun looked at each other.

"Not especially, although I have noticed that he's gone out of the house at night when the full moon is out more recently than before. I was wondering what he could have been doing," Shen said.

"I'm just grateful for what he did for Chan today," replied Chu.

"You and me both," Wu said, he looked at Shen, "I've never seen anyone move that quickly. You've done an excellent job training him Shen."

"He's a natural when it comes to memorizing skills and different fighting techniques," Shen agreed, "One time I was training him on a very complicated set of sword moves. That took me almost three to six months to master. He caught on within two to three weeks of just looking at me and repeating all my movements."

"But how did he manage to turn the water into ice?" Chun wondered, "I mean don't benders have to have some level of skill in order to be that advanced?"

"True, honey, but you forget this is Delta we're talking about. If he found out that he was a waterbender I'll bet he tried to do everything he could think of to manipulate the water. He may have even used some of the forms of fighting that I taught him as a basis for them. Either way we'll soon know," as Shen was talking the kids were walking in front of the adults.

They were talking about the trials and wondering why Delta never told them he was a waterbender.

"I mean I know he was always different from us, but I never knew he was that different from us," Zhong said.

"How does being a bender make him different from us?" Lian asked.

"Think about it. Can any of us manipulate any of the elements?" asked Zhong.

"Well Kang can," replied Lian, "He's the only one in the village who can, well the only one besides Delta now."

"But that's not the point. The point is that Mom and Dad should have known something was unusual about him when they found him on the shore," said Zhong.

"Are you jealous Zhong?" Ilia asked.

"Now why would I want a stupid ability that can change water? I'd rather be able to fly."

Ilia looked at Lian and rolled her eyes "Boys…"

She nodded in agreement, "What about you Ilia? Did you ever know that Delta could bend water?"

Lian's question caught Ilia off guard and she started to mumble something but they just arrived at the front of the house of Shen and Chun.

The house was a typical Earth Kingdom house with a few different modifications to it. It was rectangular in shape with white walls all around and yellow trim. The roof had green tiles and a wood beam on top that ran the length of the house, rounded and curved upwards at the end. The unique feature of the house was that it had a basement as well as an attic for storing certain items.

As they neared the door, they heard voices coming through the open window.

"I still can't believe that those guys were given real swords!"

"That's Shang," Lian whispered to Ilia.

"For the last time I don't even know how two real swords got into the arena. We all know that unless you've passed the trials you aren't supposed to use real swords, no matter how many times you've tried to pass the trials," Chan replied.

"Maybe that's why they were given swords and you weren't even though you passed your trial today," Shang suggested.

"It's possible. But why wouldn't I be given a real sword if that were the case? Maybe your dad can shed some light on that issue."

Shang nodded, "I still don't get it though? How he was able to beat all three of you, even when they had real swords with them?"

Shang anticipated Chan's response, "You know as well as I that Delta wasn't going to settle for second best. Not that I'm bitter or anything but the fact is he's probably the best fighter in the village. Granted, he hasn't been out in the real world and neither have I, but considering what I went through today and the fact that he can bend water, he is on a whole different level from all of us."

"Hey you did pretty well yourself so don't be so down about it, but you're probably right."

"Thanks," Chan replied.

"Was that a little bitterness I detect?" Shang quipped.

Chan sighed, "Maybe a little."

They both laughed at this. Right then, both Shang and Chan's family entered the house. Shang and Chan were sitting at the table sipping water. They had already cleaned themselves from the trials. Chan got up from his chair as did Shang. Their families rushed in on them giving them hugs and kisses making it kind of awkward for them.

"We're so glad you're okay," both couples said to their sons.

"We are as well," Shang and Chan replied.

"Where's Delta?" Lian asked and they all looked around the house.

"He said he had to go check on something after he finished washing up," Chan said.

"I'll check outside," Ilia volunteered.

Everyone looked at her causing her to blush as she headed for the door.

"Well I'll check upstairs then," Zhong said.

"I'll ask the neighbors if they've seen him," Lian called, following after Ilia.

Shen looked at the rest of them, "I guess we'll stay here until they return."

Ilia had an idea of where Delta might be. Outside the village there was a river that ran in from the ocean. It branched off in a few places and she knew one of the areas where Delta practiced waterbending. She made her way through the trees along the river to the place where it diverged. When she got there she witnessed a peculiar scene.

Delta was kneeling in a glade right next to the pool of water where she had first seen him waterbending. As she watched him she saw that he was looking down at the contents within an opened chest. Then she heard him talking to _himself_? She didn't think anyone else was in the area.

"No more hiding who and what I am," he muttered.

She saw him pull out some weird looking instrument. She had heard the name of it before and had even seen a similar copy of one, but this one was different. It was blue and had twelve holes in it; a funnel protruded from near the center of the instrument.

Delta also pulled out a strange looking robe with a hood that could probably cover his face. The color scheme was different from other Earth Kingdom clothes that Ilia had seen. It was dark blue with white lining different parts of the robe. The hood of the robe was blue but the inside of it was white. On the outside there were patterns of white that gave the robe a very different look.

The last item Ilia saw Delta retrieve from the chest was a pair of leather gauntlets. On one was the symbol of the crescent moon and the ocean. On the other pair was the symbol of the Water Tribe. She gasped when she saw these. _So that's where he's from_, she thought to herself.

As she gasped Delta stopped what he was doing and stood up. Ilia walked out into the glade where he was standing.

"Am I really that predictable?" he asked.

"Maybe you are. Maybe you're just wondering about how much your life is going to change after today," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Delta turned and faced her, "Are you sorry that I saved Chan today as well as revealing my secret earlier than I planned, or is there something else on your mind?"

"I'm very grateful for what you've done today," Ilia said surprised by his insight, "I just wish you could be…"

"What?" Delta asked, guessing her thoughts.

"I wish you could have been regular like the rest of us. But I know that you aren't normal. I knew that since I first learned of your history and how Shen and Chun found you. Now I know that you have questions that you want answers to. Either you'll find them or you won't, but I do know you'll never forgive yourself if you just stay here and pretend that you don't care about your past," she said, with a touch of relief at being able to finally say without sounding too childish.

"You know you're one of the smartest women I've ever known," Delta said.

This made her blush so badly that Delta laughed, "Ilia it's time we stopped pretending about how we feel about each other and start realizing that things will never be as we want them."

She gulped and smiled at him, "You always seem to know what to say."

"Guess it's something I picked up from my father," he mused, "Well the day's not getting any younger."

They looked towards the sky and saw that the sun was setting down.

"I guess we should get back to the house," Ilia commented.

Delta nodded and went back to the chest. He knelt by it and whispered, "Rest easy knowing that your inheritance is with me."

He then walked to the pond and turned a part of it into ice. He walked on it towards the end and dropped the chest into the water.

Then he walked back to the land and unfroze the stream. Ilia watched as he did this then fell into step next to him.

"What was all that about with your inheritance?" she asked.

"You know the stuff that I pulled out?" Delta asked.

Ilia nodded.

"When I was fifteen Shen told me about how he and Chun had found me. Needless to say I was shocked when I found out I wasn't their real son. Then he pulled a chest out and gave it to me. 'These are the things we found in your basket.' He said. That's when I saw the robe, gauntlets, and the ocarina," Delta kept walking as he was talking.

Ilia knew the story well because it was so unusual for something like this to happen. As they walked a piece of paper fell out of his robe and Delta snatched it before it hit the ground. On it was the picture of a woman.

"Who's that?" Ilia inquired.

"One of the many questions that I have," replied Delta.

Ilia looked at Delta's face. He had a strange and haunted look after he saw the picture on it and she decided against asking him for more details.

As they got out of the woods they noticed the sun was nearly to the horizon. Delta stopped and looked at it.

"What's wrong?" Ilia asked.

"Just thinking about how this might be my last night here," Delta said.

He turned back to her and they continued walking toward the village. They entered through the western gate of the village and on to Delta's childhood home. They stepped into the front door and saw everyone that everyone was waiting in the kitchen.

While the door closed they heard Shang saying "It's against tradition for people to use real swords during the trials."

"You seem to forget that the ones who had swords had already passed their trials," Shen answered Shang.

"I know that they had already passed as had Chan but he didn't get one," Shang seemed pretty upset by this.

"You know your brother could handle anything that he faced today. I did what I did because when you're out in the real world, there aren't a whole lot of people who live by rules and traditions," Shen said.

Chan nodded in agreement, "I agree. Although it would have been nice for if you had warned us about it before hand."

"Like I said before, there are very few scenarios where you'll have more than moment's notice to act. That's one of the great gifts that Delta seems to possess."

As Shen finished speaking he looked over at the doorway and saw Delta and Ilia standing there. Everyone else looked at them. Chun and Lian both walked over to Delta and hugged him.

"I'm glad you're alright," Chun said.

"As am I," replied Delta.

Then Chan's parents got up and walked over to Delta and hugged him, "Thank you for what you did for our family today," Chu said.

"Yes we will never forget what you did for Chan, Delta. If there's ever anything you need, let me know," Wu offered.

Delta bowed his head slightly at this. After this exchange Delta and Ilia walked into the room and sat down on the chairs that were available. Delta was next to Zhong and Ilia sat next to her brother.

Once again everyone's eyes turned to Delta. He had a similar feeling after he bent the water in the arena, only this one was a bit more intimate.

"Well it would seem as if you have some story-telling to do," Shen said, breaking the silence.

Delta looked around the room at everyone who was there, "Make sure you get comfortable it's a bit of a long story."

Lian walked over and gave him a cup of water. He took it and thanked her. She sat back down next to Shang.

"It was a few months or so after I turned eighteen. Chan, Dad and I were out hunting to provide food for the summer solstice,"

As he talked both Chan and Shen nodded, remembering this hunt.

"Dad had flushed out the elkalope that we had been tracking for days and Chan and I were running through the forest to cut off its escape route. Chan had my bow and I had his spear while we were running. When we got to the area where the elkalope was going to run towards we stopped. Chan gave my bow back and I fired an arrow, hitting the elkalope right in the eye. We divvied the carcass evenly among us and started the long trek home.

"I don't know if Father planned it this way, but we ended up spending one of the nights on the shoreline where I was found me. I didn't realize it at the time, but when I went to sleep that night something odd happened to me. I woke up and I was blue all over. It was weird, like I was real and yet I wasn't. Anyways when I was in this form I saw how I wound up on this shore and I saw Shen and Chun retrieve me from the water."

Everyone was quiet at this point not knowing what he was going to say next.

When she heard Delta describe how he saw them find him Chun started crying.

Shen put his arm around her, "Hush no need for tears over what we did."

Delta looked at Chun and gave her a slight smile, "I don't know what I was thinking at the time I mean what child remembers something like that? But after I saw that my spirit returned to my body."

After this Delta took a sip of water before he continued, "I couldn't sleep for some time. I just kept staring out at the ocean wondering; _if these aren't my real parents who are? Why did I wash up on shore? Did my real parents even care for me if they decided not to raise me themselves? Are they even alive?_ "All this and more went through my mind. It was at this point that I felt something pull me towards the ocean. It was a full moon that night and I felt something stir within me. I raised my arms and moved my wrists in a slow circular motion. As I did this water rose up from the ocean. I stared at it and let go thinking_ alright that was weird can I please wake up now_ forgetting that I was still awake. Wanting to be sure I wasn't dreaming I tried the motion again and the water moved again. It was then that I knew I was a waterbender."

Delta paused and Shen cut in, "So that's why you've been going out at the full moon since the hunting trip?"

Delta nodded, "I knew you guys might question why I was going out at night but there you have it."

"Do you know if either of your parents were waterbenders?" Chu asked.

Delta shot her a dark look and she blushed, "I'm sorry I forgot."

Delta reached into his leather jerkin where he put the picture after it had fallen out while he was walking back from the glade. He passed it around to Zhong who looked at it and he passed it to the others.

"This was one of the things that were found with me. I don't know who she is, but if it's any indication I'd guess that she is my birth mother," he looked at Shang who was holding the picture, "Now you know why I said those things before the beginning of the trials."

Shang nodded but still looked confused.

Lian looked from the picture to Delta. She saw similar features between Delta and the woman. Both of them had blue eyes shaped in the same way. And Delta had a similar shaped face as the woman.

"You don't have any ideas as to where or who she is?" Lian asked knowing it was a little redundant.

"No I don't. Which is why I should be getting over to the King and see what he knows about my past," Delta said this with a voice which concluded the discussion of his past, for now at least.


	5. History of Secrets Part 2

History of Secrets Part Two

**Hey guys here's another chapter I hope it isn't too confusing enjoy it because I don't know when I'll get to write more.**

As Delta stood up from his seat, Lian gave him the picture of his mother back to him.

Shen looked at Zhong, "Will you go and tell the King that our business here is done and that Delta is going to be coming to see him shortly?"

Zhong nodded and asked where he could find them.

"Most of the King's retinue are staying at various houses; the King and his family and personal guards are staying at Wu and Chu's house," replied Chun.

Both Chan and Ilia looked a little surprised but they knew it wouldn't be long.

"Guess we had better get back there ourselves," said Wu and his family got up from their seats.

Wu looked at Delta and said "Again thank you for what you've done. If there's anything you require from me you have but to ask for it."

Delta nodded to him and Wu left the room. Chu got up and gave Delta a quick hug and followed her husband outside. Chan and Ilia got up to follow their parents.

Chan faced Delta, and bowed slightly, "Delta I don't know what your future holds, but I do know that you'll have a big impact on this world. I don't know how I'll be able to repay you…"

"You don't need to repay me for anything," Delta said knowing that Chan felt honor bound to repay him, "You would've done the same thing in my position."

"Well maybe… I'll figure something out someday," Chan looked at Ilia before he followed his parents out the door.

Ilia looked at Delta. He looked back at her. Those still in the room looked at the two of them, wondering what was going on between them.

"Would you want some company on the way to your house?" Delta asked Ilia.

She nodded and then thanked Shen and Chun for their hospitality.

"Don't mention it Ilia," Shen replied.

Ilia turned back to Delta and the two of them left the house.

"It's a shame that Delta didn't ask her before this all happened," Chun commented looking out the window as Delta and Ilia headed down the street for Ilia's home.

"I know," Shen sighed, "He would have been good for her and they would have been great parents. But with everything that's gone on today that won't be possible."

Shang looked at Lian and saw her lost in thought.

"Are you alright Lian?" He asked.

That snapped her back to reality, "Kind of, before we came into the house I asked Ilia if she knew that Delta was a waterbender."

Lian's parents looked back towards Lian as she said this, "Well did she?"

"I never found out. Before she replied we heard you guys talking about the trials and then we walked in the house. But if I were to guess I'd say she knew something we didn't."

"Why would you assume that she would know something as important as this?" Shen asked.

"Ilia didn't look as surprised as the entire crowd was when Delta turned all the water in the stadium into ice," Lian said.

"Just because she doesn't look surprised doesn't mean she knew about his ability," said Chun.

"But why did she hesitate when I asked her if she had known about Delta's ability?" Lian countered.

"Delta could've asked her to keep it a secret," Shang commented.

"That's the only thing that I can think of that makes any sense," Lian mused, grateful that Shang had gone on the same line of thought she had.

"Of course all of this is mere speculation until either Delta or Ilia choose to reveal those events to us," Shen said, stopping the conversation.

"We should probably get dinner ready so that Delta and Zhong won't be starving before they go to bed," Chun said.

They all agreed and started getting things ready.

As they walked down the street towards Ilia's house Delta said quietly, "Thank you."

Ilia nodded her head, "You know that there will be talk amongst your family about us?" She asked and Delta nodded his head.

"They'll be curious if anyone besides me knew about my ability before the trial. And they're going to want answers."

"What are you going to tell them?" Ilia asked.

There were crimes in their village for those who lied but in this case it wasn't really a lie they were hiding.

"The truth; you found me waterbending a month or so before the trials and agreed to keep it a secret for me to reveal to the town myself."

Ilia nodded, reassured but she still felt a little uneasy at the situation they were in.

"How did the King react when I pulled the water from his cup?" Delta asked.

Ilia looked at him and saw that he had a slight smile on his face, "I'm not sure but I think he was less surprised than everyone else."

"Why did he do a double take when your dad introduced you and Shang to him before the trials?" Ilia asked, guessing Delta's answer.

"I don't know. Perhaps I resemble someone from his past and he mistook me for that person. Whatever the case is I shall know soon enough."

Ilia nodded.

As they talked, they saw Zhong leave Ilia's house. He walked up to them and told them the King was expecting Delta.

As they approached the house they saw two guards outside it, "That was some of the best fighting that I'd ever seen," one of the guards called out.

This took Delta a little by surprise, but he thanked him.

They walked into the house and Ilia giggled at the look on Delta's face, "What stunned that you'd get a compliment after what you did today?"

"No. Just shocked that it came from one of the King's guards," Delta replied.

"Well don't be startled if more of his guards compliment you," Ilia shot back.

Delta nodded in agreement.

As they walked into the main room they saw the King in conversation with Wu.

When they had stopped chatting Wu looked up and the King turned around, "Ah Delta, Ilia come right in."

Delta and Ilia walked in and sat down.

Chung looked around the room and the focused on Delta, "Well now that you're here I imagine you have a few questions for me."

Delta nodded, "What could you possibly know of my past?"

"Well for starters I know waterbenders don't wind up in the Earth Kingdom without a cause beyond his control. I also know that you're built more like your father, but you have the look of your mother."

Delta looked down at the floor at the mention of his parents.

Ilia looked at him and asked, "Shouldn't you tell Shen and Chun this? They were the ones who found him and raised him."

"I could tell them but I think Shen might find this a little redundant as he already knows a little of how the story goes."

Delta looked up from the floor, "What are you talking about?"

The King gave a small sigh, "I've already told Wu and his family this so you have the right to know as well," he said looking at Ilia.

_I would think so _Ilia thought; rolling her eyes _considering the story is __**about **__him._

"Shen and I grew up in the city of Omashu. I was heir to the throne as was my sister, Chun. Shen was from a noble family and a very skilled warrior. He rose quickly in the ranks of the military and soon my father promoted him to General over the whole army."

Delta interrupted him, "What does this have to do with my real parents?"

"Patience Delta I'm getting to that. I first met your father when he was in the streets of Omashu. He had a Saber Tooth Moose Lion on a cart pulled by some Ostrich Horses. Naturally the size of the animal drew a large crowd and people wanted to know how he brought it down. After telling us how he did it he asked if anyone would be interested in buying or trading with him for the animal. I said that I would be and he turned and looked at me. He saw that I was wearing royal garments and bowed and said 'I thank you your highness, I hope this beast isn't too big a burden for your cooks and craftsmen.'

The king smiled as he recalled the memory, "With that we took the animal to the royal palace and I had someone fetch the cooks and told them that there was going to be some extra meat at the feast tonight. Their jaws dropped when they saw the Saber Tooth Moose Lion. Just then my father came out and saw the animal being hauled away. He asked who had killed it and your father answered him. Then my dad extended an invitation to him to join us for the feast. At that point Shen walked out of the hall with my sister Chun at his side. There wasn't any question in the minds of our families that they were going to end up married."

As he said this Delta and Ilia looked at each other and then back towards the King.

He smiled at them, "I know it isn't an easy situation to be in, but if you wait it will be worth it."

Delta nodded and the King continued, "Anyways after that my father introduced your real father to Shen and Chun. During the feast someone tried to kill my family. We don't know who but it was a terrible thing that they tried to do. After the feast people were trickling out of the palace and back to their homes. Your father was talking to my father about his travels where he'd been, who he'd seen and so on. It was during this that two of the guards who my father had mistaken as allies drew the doors of the hall shut. From what my father told us of the encounter your dad saw this and then he saw that there were four people in the room.

'Friends of yours?' he asked my father and my dad looked at them.

'Hardly, they are assassins here to try and kill me.'

Then the two guards joined the group, 'Your highness you should know that before you die that it's for a very good cause,' one of the assassins called out.

'Good is a point of view,' your father replied.

He had most of his weapons with him. One was a bow. He also had a boomerang and a spear. My father realized something was wrong and he heard a scream from the vents in the room.

'You're not just here to kill me,' he said this and one of the assassins started moving closer to the table.

'Correct. We are here to make sure the line of your family doesn't continue.'

Chung stopped talking for a moment to take a sip of water.

"I can't imagine what my father thought of that situation and not really knowing the royal family," Delta said.

Chung nodded, "After the battle with the assassins in the hall both our fathers raced out to find a group of men had my mother, sister, and my brother bound and were dragging them away from the palace.

'Guards stop them!' As my father said this the men took three different chutes that were part of our distribution service, got into the stone carriers and rode down them.

My father pursued the one that with my mother. Your dad hopped into a carrier after the one carrying my brother. I don't remember exactly how it all finished but I know that the next time I saw my family they were in the hands of the slayers. A few guards had been killed during the chase and my father had been captured by them. They were at the city gates and demanded that they be opened up. My dad nodded to the guards and they opened up the stone walls.

"What they didn't see was your father on the outer wall. He took in the situation and saw that there were six assassins that had hold of my family. He knew that any direct action against them might result in their deaths but he did something anyways."

"What did he do?" Delta asked eagerly.

"I'll never forget it for as long as I live," Chung replied, "As I watched with fury at my family being taken from me I heard the low swoosh of a weapon being thrown. Then I heard a bowstring being pulled and within less than a minute five members of the group dropped, either wounded or dead. Then I saw a spear fly through the sky and hit the final assassin in his head. With this he let go of Chun and my family was safe again."

Delta shook his head in amazement when he heard this, "He does sound a lot like me."

Chung nodded in agreement, "Your father was never one to shrink away from overwhelming odds, even if it meant putting himself in harm's way."

"What happened after that?" Ilia asked, not sure how this story fit into Delta's situation.

"After the last assassin was killed the guards rushed out of the city. Shen and I were in the front wanting to see that my family was okay. I ran to my mother and brother and asked if they were alright. They told me that other than nearly being frightened to death, they were fine. My dad was holding my sister and asking the same questions. She said she was alright. It was at this point that Shen came over to her and hugged her. My father turned to me and asked who had managed to free them.

"I turned and pointed to your father who was busy retrieving his weapons from the dead assassins. One of the guards asked why he was retrieving them and he replied 'it isn't like they're going to be able to put them to much use.'

The guard laughed at this remark. My father walked over to your dad and did something that members of the Royal family rarely did. He bowed to him. When I saw this I did as well. My entire family did and when I talked to your father about it later he said it looked like the entire city was bowing to him. When my father rose, he said that he and his family were forever in your father's debt."

Delta nodded knowing the feeling after he had saved Chan from the knife during the trial; Wu said something similar afterwards.

"Then what happened?" Ilia pressed on.

"When we all got back up we saw Shen propose to Chun. I knew that after what happened he wouldn't waste anytime asking her to marry him. She agreed and there was applause throughout the city. Your dad in his typical style of humor said 'I love weddings; Drinks all for everyone!'

"Everyone in the area laughed and we all went back to the palace. Within four days Shen and Chun were married. It was after this that your father said it was time for him to go back to the North Pole. Everyone was sorry to see him leave but he had things to do.

"Before your dad left, the three of us Shen, your father, and I made a pact to help each other if one should ever need it. After that he left. I didn't see or hear from him until another two years. He had sent a messenger to Omashu. My father and mother had died during this time and I was made King. His messenger said that he was going to marry and he requested that Shen, Chun, and I attend the wedding. I told the messenger that we would all be going to the wedding. It was near the end of summer that the wedding took place. Your mother was very beautiful. And I had never seen your father happier than during their ceremony. It was like they were soul mates," Chung nodded to Delta.

"Is that when this was painted?" Delta asked, carefully pulling the picture out of his pocket.

Chung sat up at this, "You have a picture of your mother?"

Delta nodded and handed it to him. Chung looked at it earnestly.

He shook his head, passing the painting back, "No this was not made at the wedding; it must have been made sometime after."

Delta took the picture and put it into his tunic.

"That was the last time that I saw either of your parents. I don't know what happened but I do know that there was some political unrest in the Tribe after your parents got married."

Delta's eyebrows rose at mention of this, "What kind of unrest?"

"Well for the Water Tribe it is a well-known tradition that women are forbidden to waterbend. I can only guess that your mother was a waterbender and that someone found out and there may have been a falling our between different groups in the Tribe."

For a moment Delta couldn't think straight. _So my mother is a waterbender and that's why she and my dad had to leave the Water Tribe? _

Chung looked at Delta carefully, "I know it must be hard taking all of this in, but it's important that you know more about your past. After all your past isn't what really defines you."

Delta looked up at him in surprise.

Chung smiled at him, "It gives you the starting point for who you're going to be."


	6. Decision Making and Leave Taking

Decision Making and Leave Taking

As the king finished speaking Delta stood up and walked to one of the windows in the room. Ilia looked at him and wondered what was going through his mind. She knew that with these revelations he would want to take a course of action that would give him answers, but the questions that he had weren't easily answered.

Then Delta spoke, "So what would you have me do?"

Chung looked at him a little surprised, "I would have thought that obvious."

Delta looked back at him and the Chung stood up, putting his cup down, "Delta only you know what you are looking for. I know that you've considered yourself to be a part of my family since you were old enough to understand what family was. But now is the time for you to find out what the world is like. You need to see for yourself what people outside of your village are like. Get out and explore. Find what you are seeking and maybe, just maybe, you might find what you're looking for."

The king finished speaking, rose, and started to leave the room. Delta looked at him and asked, "And what have I been looking for?"

Chung looked at him and replied, "Only you know the answer to that."

Chung departed, leaving Delta and Ilia alone. Ilia looked at him and saw a look that she was all too familiar with. She got up from her chair, walked over to him and gave him a hug. He returned the hug.

"Delta I don't know what your plans are. But I want you to know that…" Delta put a hand up and stopped her from finishing.

"Don't say what I think you're going to say. I know that I need I need to find out more about my past. That's where my path is going to go," he started to choke up; "Right now I need to be free of personal attachments. I don't think of you as an attachment but as it stands I need to be free of anything that would hold me back from doing what needs to be done."

Ilia nodded and started tried to smile but couldn't, "Well wherever you go or whatever you do I wish you the very best."

"And I you, I wish things could be normal like you, but they aren't normal and I need to know why," Ilia nodded again and walked away, leaving Delta alone.

_So this is what it's going to be like I may as well get a move on,_ Delta thought.

As he left the room Chung called out, "Delta, hold up for a minute."

Delta paused as the king walked towards him. Chung gestured towards the living room and Delta followed him.

"What else do you have to say?" Delta asked but the king hushed him.

Delta found this very strange.

The king walked closer to him and speaking in a low voice told him, "Delta there are certain things that are going on in the Earth Kingdom that you should know about."

"Like what?"

"There has been a break down in law and order outside of Omashu and Taku. I don't know what's been going on but I think that it may have something to do with the Avatar's absence."

Delta nodded knowingly and asked, "So why don't you send more soldiers out to deal with these problems?"

"These problems are too far widespread for my soldiers to handle. I know I shouldn't ask because of what you plan on doing, but it would be a big help to me and all of the people of the Earth Kingdom if they saw someone stand up to these murderers."

"How big of a problem is this exactly?" Delta wanted to know what he might be getting into if he accepted.

"The roads between cities and villages are being attacked by roving bands of men. I don't know the exact numbers but I do know that it's happened more than a few times between Omashu and Taku. The villages in between all have to rely on their men for protection and it's very tough for them to keep these guys from coming back. I know a village in the south was completely destroyed in a recent attack. From reports there seems to be no survivors from that village."

Delta started to see where the king was going with this, "So you need someone who you can trust to keep an eye on the roads, gather information about these bands, and possibly kill those who resist either your authority or those who choose to cause others harm?"

The king nodded, "I know my soldiers are good and loyal men but I would like a new pair of eyes, specifically yours, to see what you might be able to do for the kingdom."

Delta looked down at the ground then back up, "Well if I were to accept, I wouldn't be doing this just for you, I'd be doing it for those who can't protect themselves."

Chung nodded, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Delta looked out the window and saw that the sun was coming up, "Let me think about this and I'll let you know my decision."

Chung nodded in agreement.

Delta left the house and let his eyes adjust to the sunlight that was shining through the clouds. Then he started the walk home. _Hard to believe that took all night, he thought, I'm as hungry as a Moose Lion. _He walked into the kitchen and saw food laid out for him. He ate but savored each bite. When he was done he walked up to his room took off most of his clothes and the got into his bed and slept. While he slept he had a weird dream. _In it there were four people standing outside an enormous stadium. To Delta's left there was an Air Nomad with a staff at his side. To his right were two other people. One was a large man who had black hair and a slight beard. He looked just a few years older than Delta and he didn't have any shoes or boots on. He had the look of a powerful earthbender about him. Next to him was a boy. If Delta had to guess he'd say that the boy was a year or two younger than himself. He had a strange collection of clothes on him to which made Delta wonder if he was a wanderer. Just then the Nomad spoke to him. "What you are seeking is not going to be answered immediately. But if you go through what awaits you in the arena, you might find out what that is." _

Delta woke with a start and sat up in his bed and wondered what the dream meant. _Just because it's a dream doesn't mean that it's real or that it's going to happen does it? _Delta didn't know how these things worked and he wasn't going to waste time worrying about it. He looked out his window and saw that the sun was already past noon. Then he remembered what the king had told him and he sat down on the mat next to his bed and meditated. He didn't know what he was looking for, but knew that if the king's soldiers couldn't handle problems like murderers and thieves, then he might be able to help them out. Delta thought for a very long time on this and made his decision.

He got up from his mat and found his clothes. He put them on and then walked downstairs and outside. It was harvest time so people were outside of the village getting the crops ready before they went bad. Delta walked back to ilia's house and the two guards admitted him inside. Delta walked in and saw the king was back in the living room.

The king looked up and Delta said, "I have made my decision."

The king stood.

"I will help you and the Earth Kingdom with this problem."

Chung looked more relieved than anything, "Thank you Delta. I know it won't be easy but neither is protecting or providing for your family. I know that there are a few cities and villages that are allied with me, if I were to help you out I could tell them to give you whatever you need for this task."

Delta shook his head, "If I'm to help these people they need to see that I won't depend on them because they were told to help me. I'd rather show them how to stand up for themselves and then make that choice themselves."

Chung looked surprised and Delta's insight but nodded in agreement, "Remember that you don't have to accept but I am glad that you chose to."

Delta nodded and then asked, "Sire with your permission there is something else that I would like to do when I'm doing all of this."

Chung looked at him and asked "What is it?"

"With your permission I would like to recruit people who have been turned from doing things that they would normally do, and instead have chosen to do irrational things. I would like to recruit anyone who may have stolen or worse and give them another chance to prove that they are better than that."

The king sighed and sat down. He wondered why Delta would ask such a thing. He looked up at him and saw some of the answer in his eyes, "Alright I will give you the opportunity to recruit those who you feel deserve another chance, but if they should slip once don't hesitate to kill them. Otherwise you'll have to keep coming to their defense."

Delta nodded and said, "I know that it wouldn't seem like a good idea, but if I can recruit these kinds of people, then others will be able to find their courage and be able to act if they have to."

The king nodded, "Very well. Do what you must."

Delta bowed and thanked him.

"So where are you off to now?" Delta asked.

"I'm thinking that it's time for us to head back to Omashu, but I won't be going straight home. I have a few things I need to attend to before I head back."

Delta nodded and then extended his hand and Chung shook it, "I wish you the very best with this as well as finding out about your past."

Delta nodded and bowed before he left the house. He then went to the fields where his family was gathering crops. He found his mother and told her what he was planning on doing after that day. She dropped her basket and hugged him and started crying into his shoulder.

Delta hugged her closer and then told her, "Let Zhong and Lian know will you? I'm going to find Shang and tell him myself."

Chun nodded and wiped the tears away from her face. Delta left and walked towards the arena where he thought he might find Shang practicing; he was right and saw that Shang was practicing with Chan. Delta gave a short whistle and both of them turned towards him. They walked towards him and he told them of his plans. For a minute they looked a little stunned and then they started asking questions.

Delta stopped them, "I know it isn't a popular idea but then not many ideas are popular."

"Like when you had me walk through an entire swamp to get an animal while you practically ran on the trees in the swamp?" Shang asked.

"Or when you challenged me to an eating contest after which I threw up?" Chan asked.

"Well I was hoping you wouldn't be pointing fingers at someone when I said bad ideas but yes those are excellent examples," Delta replied, "All I'm saying is that I need to do this. If I don't do it then I may never find out more about my past and we know that I could never live with myself if I didn't try to find out more about my origins."

After he finished speaking Shang asked, "Have you told father of your plans yet?"

"No I haven't mainly because I have something that I want to talk to him about before I head out," Delta said.

With a nod to the both of them Delta turned and walked out of the arena, he then started the walk back towards his home. When he got in he was surprised to see Shen inside. He had expected him to be outside helping with the farming.

Shen turned towards him, "So I imagine you have a few questions for me before you leave."

Delta nodded not asking how Shen found out about his plans, "Did you know whose son I was when you found me?"

Shen shook his head, "When Chun and I found you we had no idea how you wound up on that shore. We took you in because we wouldn't live with our selves knowing we let an innocent baby die."

Delta started pacing the room, "And after I revealed my waterbending ability you still couldn't guess?"

Shen sat down, "I was as surprised as anyone except maybe Ilia when you bent the water in the stadium."

Delta stopped walking around when Shen mentioned Ilia's name.

"How did you find out that she knew of my ability?" Delta's voice little more than a whisper.

"We had our suspicions about it but you just confirmed it for me."

Delta still looked confused, "Who else has been having these suspicions?"

"Well your other siblings have been talking about it ever since the trials, but Lian was the one who thought of the connection."

Delta nodded knowing Lian could be a little inquisitive after a revelation like this, "How did she put it together?" Delta asked.

"We were walking home from the trials and just before we got to the house Lian asked Ilia if she knew anything about your ability. Ilia didn't respond immediately and that made Lian suspect something. After the two of you left she brought it up with us again and told us what she thought. We all thought there might be some truth to it but I told them that until one of you let us know the truth, then it would be idle speculation."

Delta sat down. He decided he wasn't going to keep the truth hidden anymore what with his own family asking questions.

Delta looked up, "It was a few weeks ago when Ilia found out that I could waterbend." Shen sat down and listened to Delta's tale, "Chan and I had just gotten back from a longer hunt than was usual. He had been injured in the encounter and ilia wanted to know how. I was busy working on a complicated form with the water. Bending is a whole different style from the fighting techniques that you've shown me so I had to practice a lot of different forms in order to find the ones that worked. Anyways I was bending the water and then wondered if I could turn the water into ice."

Shen marveled at these revelations. He knew that Delta was a gifted fighter, but he didn't know that he had progressed that far with his bending.

"Ilia must have snuck up behind me and watched me bend for a while because when I whipped the water around and turned it into ice she was taken completely by surprise. The water turned into ice and pinned her against a tree. 'What was that for,' she screamed at me trying to get free from the ice," Delta smiled at the memory, "It was rather funny to be honest anyways I said 'you shouldn't sneak up on a bender. You won't know what might happen.' 'Thanks for the tip now can you get me down from here it isn't a very comfortable spot to be in.' I grinned at her and with a quick motion turned the ice into water and made sure she didn't fall immediately to the ground. She got up and punched me in the arm. 'You're welcome,' I said. 'How did you do that?' she asked. 'I would have thought that was obvious. I'm a waterbender.' It took her a long time to register what I had just said and then she asked 'How long have you known?' 'Only a few weeks to be honest' I answered," Delta got up and walked over to the window and looked out.

He saw his family coming up the road with the produce from the day, "It was after this that I asked her to keep my ability a secret for me until I chose to reveal it."

Shen got up and walked over to Delta and put a hand on his shoulder, "Well now I know the story I'll be sure to tell the others."

Delta looked at him and thanked him.

Shen nodded and asked, "So when do you plan to leave?"

Delta walked over to where his room was and looked back at Shen, "I was thinking sometime tomorrow not really sure yet."

And with that he went into his room. Shen shook his head and then heard the door open and his family came in. Lian walked over and asked, "Has he left yet?"

Shen shook his head and pointed towards Delta's room.

Shen looked back at Lian and said, "If I were you I'd give him some time to be alone. He needs to be able to think things over clearly without any distractions."

Lian nodded although she wanted to say something.

Later that night she walked down to Delta's room and knocked on it. It swung open and she saw that it was empty. She saw that Delta's robe, sword, bow and quiver were gone along with his hunting knife.

She ran to her parents' room, "He's gone!"

Shen and Chun looked up at here and then they realized who she was talking about. They raced down stairs to where Delta slept saw that he was indeed gone.

"What's going on?" Shang was right behind them with Zhong on his heels. Shen looked at him and told him. They all ran outside and started calling his name. Shen then looked at the gates of the village. He whistled and gathered everyone in his family.

He looked around to each of them and said, "We all knew this was going to happen, we just didn't know when, he chose to leave us like this to show us that he has to let go of all he's known." As Shen was speaking he heard voices in the distance and then saw people running from house to house.

"Guess it didn't go the way Delta wanted it to." Zhong said.

Shen looked at his family and said, "Well I guess we'll get to say goodbye after all."

They nodded and walked towards the east gate.

Delta had planned it all out perfectly. He was going to leave in the middle of the night and no one would be aware of it until the morning. And yet somehow someone was able to figure out his plan before he even got to the gate.

"Going somewhere?"

The voice startled Delta and he whirled around and saw Chan standing next to a building.

"What are you doing here?" Delta asked.

"Well I've been doing some thinking and I've decided that I want to help you on your journey."

Delta shook his head, "You know that I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything."

Chan nodded, "I know that but I'm not doing this to get even. I'm doing this because you're my friend."

With this logic Delta wondered what Chan was really playing at, but right then doors started opening all along the street and people flooded outside.

Delta looked at Chan, "Okay who did you tell?"

Chan smirked at him as more and more people came outside. Delta saw everyone from Kang to the king come outside to see them off. He saw the blacksmith as well as the carpenter of the village and their families. Then he saw his family. They pushed their way through the crowd to get to the front. Delta walked up to them and Lian hugged him.

"Thought you could leave without letting us know about it?"

Delta hugged her back, "Well it would have gone according to plan but someone decided he wanted to ruin that plan."

As he was talking Chan's family came out they saw Chan already to go and hugged him. Then Delta turned from his family and looked at Ilia. They didn't say anything but knew what the other was thinking. Delta nodded to her and she nodded back. He nodded to Chan and they started walking towards the gate when a cry came from the crowd.

They turned and saw one of Chan's brothers run towards them, "Delta, Chan don't go," he cried.

Delta knelt down, "I wish I didn't have to but it's a fact of life."

When the child's eyes started tearing up Delta said, "Hey I got something for you." He pulled out a small version of his ocarina.

"When you're sad or missing your brother or me, play this instrument and that way we'll always be with you."

The child smiled when he heard the sound the instrument made. Delta stood back up and waved to everyone assembled. He looked at the crowd and wondered if he'd ever see them again. He smiled and waved, gave Chan another nod and they started their journey.


	7. The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins

**Hey guys WolverineNWT here sorry I haven't posted a chapter. I know it's been a while since my last one. I've been busy finishing up community college and I've also started another fanfiction called Count Dooku's Secret Apprentice. It's a Star Wars Clone Wars fanfiction that I'll be writing along with this one. Anyways If you haven't notice I've changed the rating for this story because I'm making it a lot bloodier and darker than the original TV show. If you want something to compare it to try a cartoon Game of Thrones without the massive amounts of swearing and kinky sex scenes in it but I may put a few couples together later on. The only similarity will be the violence and I may even dial some of that back. Well I hope you enjoy this chapter don't know when I'll post another one.**

Delta and Chan had been traveling for a few days since their departure. They had stuck close to a river because it was a good source of water and it provided game for them to hunt which gave them extra food when they ate. Along with his sword Chan had brought a spear, a knife, a bow and quiver of arrows. He also brought some blankets that could be used for beds. All in all he had a similar kit to Delta minus Delta's waterbending. Delta had most of the same weapons except the spear. He had another weapon that his father had given him which he used to hunt animals to great effect.

His father called the weapon a rope dart. It had a metal tip and it had a considerable length of fibers attached to it which gave it a great range of uses. Delta had spent a lot of hours in the sun learning how to wield this particular weapon so he wouldn't do himself any harm from it. He had altogether seven to eight on his person.

It was the third day since they had left their village and they had a limited food supply. They could hunt game but that took a lot of time up out of their days. If they couldn't find any game they'd forage for certain foods that they could eat. As they broke camp Delta pulled out a map of the Earth Kingdom he had taken from his families' house. On it he saw the famed city of Omashu and her sister city Taku. Taku was located slightly northwest of Omashu. There was another city that was on here that Delta had only heard of from his father's tales around the fire at night, Cahokia. It was supposed to be a cross between a village and a city. Delta wondered how things worked in that place and wanted to see it, but it was to the east on the map, close to where his father had fought the firebenders all those years ago.

"What are you thinking?" Chan asked as he finished packing camp up.

Delta turned to him and then went back to the map. "Well based on this map there are a few villages between us and the nearest town. There's even an abbey somewhere to the east of us."

Chan stood thinking. "Well we haven't run into a village yet. Why don't we see if we can find one and spend the night there?"

Delta nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan to me. We're running a little low on food so we can see if we can buy or trade services for some food."

With that Delta rolled the map up and put his weapons back where they belonged. They struck out and headed out of the forest glade that they had been staying in and started heading east hoping to find some village or sign of life in that area. They hadn't gone too far when they saw smoke rising in the air.

"Look smoke," Chan said but Delta made a hushing noise. Chan fell silent and Delta dropped to his knee and examined the ground.

Chan knelt down next to him. "What is it?" He whispered not wanting to break his friends' concentration.

Delta studied the tracks in the ground and what he saw didn't encourage him. "Someone has been here ahead of us." Chan knew better than to question Delta's tracking ability. He was probably the finest hunter in their village.

"Who is it?" He asked. "By the looks of these prints, I'd say a scouting party of some kind," Delta said.

"How many?" Chan asked.

Delta shook his head "I can't be for certain, but I'd say no more than thirty and no less than fifteen."

The suggested numbers worried Chan. "So we skirt around the village and don't stay here for the night."

Delta gave him a look and Chan knew that look all too well. "If there's trouble at the village we need to see what's going on."

Delta said remembering his promise to the King. "Why do we need to worry about what might be happening in another village? We don't even know if these are bad guys or the King's own scouts." Chan asked.

"The King probably hasn't left our village yet so I doubt that they're scouts from his group. Also the footprints are different from the ones that his men make." This added detail of the footprints did little to quiet Chan's discomfort.

"So are we going to see what this is all about?" Delta nodded "Since the King's army has been disbanded after the war he doesn't have the men he needs to protect his villages. If this is a raiding party of some kind, then we need to be on our guard for anything."

Chan looked down at the ground and then looked back up. "Alright let's do this."

They followed the tracks to where they saw the smoke coming up and indeed it was a village, but not as they had hoped to find. It was being raided. Delta and Chan stayed behind a group of trees so they wouldn't be spotted by the men who were busy raiding the village. Delta saw a group of trees and ran towards them so he could get a better look of the village and the men. Chan was left to look at the scene of chaos unfold in front of him. He saw horrific things that he knew he'd never be able to get out of his head again.

Just then he heard a noise and he drew his sword only to find that it was Delta behind him. Delta saw the look on his face and knew that they were both changed men after what they had seen. For a minute Chan couldn't seem to find his voice. Delta knew what was going on in his mind because he was thinking the same thoughts.

Finally Chan said "How can they do that to these people?" His voice was slightly hoarse after not speaking for a while.

"Because they feel that they have the right and the ability to do so," replied Delta. "They need to pay for what they're doing," Chan said in a low growl.

Delta put his hand on Chan's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "They will pay Chan, if not in this life then certainly the next. And we're going to help them get to that next level."

Chan looked at Delta and saw a fierce look in his eyes. "You got a plan for taking out these guys?" He asked.

"It's ready and rearing to go. I got a good layout of the village from my vantage point in the trees." Delta knelt in the ground where they were and drew a map of the village.

He drew it in sections and divided it into four. "This section that's facing us is the southwestern portion of the village. There are homes with thatched roofs the outside of the homes are made with straw and hay."

Delta pointed to the northern areas of the map. "I saw a few people trying to flee in this area. I'm guessing that there must be some place for them to escape raiders like this."

Chan could see the plan unfolding. "So it's going to be separate teams each taking a different section of the village and then we meet in the middle once every one of those men are dead?"

Delta nodded knowing Chan would catch on to the plan. "Correct. Since I got a good view of the northern area I'll take that section and see if there might be any survivors from this butchery. You stay here and take the village from the south."

Chan nodded knowing that he'd have to be very alert if they were to pull this surprise attack off. "What about the number of men in the group?"

Delta had gotten a better estimate of the number of men when he was scouting. "As I guessed earlier it's about twenty five guys and they all seem to have a spear, sword, or some other kind of close range weapon. I didn't see any bows so be sure to use that to your advantage before going in with your close range weapons."

Chan nodded then asked, "Did you see any benders in this group while you were scouting?"

Delta shook his head, "None, but all the same we need to be careful in case there might be one."

This news still made Chan feel a little uneasy, but he knew that if they didn't help these people, then then no one would.

Chan asked "Do you have a signal for attacking these guys?" Delta had already thought one out.

"I'll give four whistles that have these pitches," he whistled low to give Chan an idea of their sound, "and that'll be your signal to move in and take the southern flank."

Delta looked at Chan and said "Remember do not hesitate to kill any one of these guys. If you see someone being harmed by them you make sure that the person doing it is taken out. Dead men can't fight back."

Even as Delta spoke he wondered if he would be able to follow his own advice. "Don't worry about me D, I'll be sure to do my part, just make sure you don't run into trouble on your way to the other side of the village."

Chan held out his hand and Delta grasped it and then he left for the northern side of the village.


	8. Two verses Twenty Five

Two verses Twenty Five

Delta made his way towards the northern part of the village. He was hoping beyond hope that he would reach his destination without having to meet the enemy before he was inside the village. But as much as we hope for something to happen, very rarely will it happen. Delta was about halfway to his spot when he noticed movement in the trees ahead of him. Instead of hiding in the brush around the trees he jumped up into the V shape of a tree and then climbed so that he had a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. Delta was crouched on the branch for balance and then he saw what was causing the commotion and he was furious. Two children and one teenager were being chased by three armed men. One had a spear, another a sword and the last man had a wicked looking axe. They were running down the three villagers with undivided attention.

From his perch Delta knew that he had to help these three villagers out, he just had to act quickly. As the children ran under his perch the teenager of the group stood back and told the children to run and get help. Delta noticed that he was carrying a wooden stick, which wasn't much of a weapon, but if he knew how to use it then it was his best bet of staying alive. The three men who were charging the group stopped when they saw the teenager stand and face them.

"Oh look at him with his stick I wonder what he's going to do to us?" This was uttered by the man wielding the axe.

"Yeah what are you going to do poke our eyes out?" Taunted the guy who had the sword, and he advanced a little too cocky and the teenager did just that. He dodged a blow from the warrior and hit him in the face with his stick. The man walked away howling in pain and agony.

"Oh why is it the bleeding eye all the time?" The man raged. "Kill him I want his head." "What's the matter isn't your own good enough for you?" retorted the teenager.

Delta had to hand it to the kid being quick witted, but this wasn't a laughing matter. Delta drew one of his rope darts and threw it at the man with the axe. It stuck in the back of the man's neck. Delta leapt down from his branch and this hoisted the man into the air. When he hit the ground Delta made sure the rope stuck into the ground so that the man hanged there.

Before the other two could react to this Delta had his bow out and fired two arrows. One of them caught the man with the sword in the throat and he died instantly. The man with the spear dodged the arrow but it still stuck him in the shoulder. Before he had time to recover Delta ran to him and killed him with his knife. This was the first up close kill for Delta. Sure he had hunted animals, but they weren't human. The only thing animals could do when they were being hunted was run, unless it was an animal that could fight back. The look on the man's face made Delta think about if what he was doing was right. Then he remembered what he saw the other men doing in the village and he vowed to not let one escape.

Delta wiped the blood from his knife and put it back in its sheath. He turned and looked at the teenager who was standing there open mouthed at what he had just witnessed.

"Are you alright?" Delta asked. The boy nodded. "Good. I need you to go and find the two children you were with and keep them safe until this is over."

He started walking again when the boy said "Wait." Delta stopped and turned back to him.

"What's your name?" Delta wondered if he should share it with the boy but after what he was going through the boy probably wanted some answer as to who saved him.

"My name is Delta and I'm here to help your village." Delta said.

The boy looked stunned at this. "Do you have an army with you?" He asked.

Delta chuckled. "An army wouldn't be much good in a small raid like this where stealth and surprise are your best weapons."

The boy looked more confused still. "But how many of you are there?"

"Just me and another guy," Delta replied hoping the boy wouldn't tell anyone else about the size of his force.

Before the boy could ask any more questions Delta said "Now go and find those children you were with. They're probably terrified out of their minds at being alone."

He turned and started walking again. "I hope you know how to bend an element because there's a firebender at the village." That stopped Delta in his tracks. "Did you just say a firebender's at your village?" The boy nodded.

"Well things just keep getting better and better." And for the last time Delta turned and headed towards the northern part of the village.

Chan had been waiting in his spot for a while. He wanted to make sure he didn't cramp up before the fight so he kept loose and drank some water. A little while later he heard branches breaking and someone crying. He decided to leave and investigate who was making the noise. It was two children who were probably from the village. One was a boy and the other was a girl. The girl turned and gasped when she saw Chan.

Chan held up a finger to his lips making silence gestures and then asked "Are you two from the village?"

The boy wouldn't say anything and Chan guessed he had been the one crying. The girl nodded. "Okay I'm here to help you guys. There's no need to be afraid."

Just then the boy spoke and said "Where's mom?" The girl shushed him and said "Mom's back at the village. Dad's looking after her she'll be alright."

_Not if these raiders are doing what I saw them doing _Chan thought. He told them to follow him and they went back to his hiding spot. They got there and waited. It was during a lull in the fighting that Chan heard the signal.

"That's my queue guys I need to go and help your village. I'll be back for you." With that Chan left the trees and headed for the village.

Delta was at the north end of the village and hiding behind a house. He had gotten a good view of some of the men who were in the village and saw that they had a number of villagers gathered together in a barn on the south side of the village. He wondered what would happen to them. He also saw the firebender in the group. He was tall with black hair that was tied up into a ponytail. He was wearing a set of clothes that Delta had never seen before. It was a type of black leather that had a symbol of the Fire Nation on it and Delta wondered if these men were from the Fire Nation. Then he remembered the way they were dressed and knew they were from the Earth Kingdom and not the Fire Nation. Either way he'd soon find out.

Delta gave the signal from his ocarina and went in. He fired two arrows at the guards who were guarding the entrance to the barn. Not expecting the attack they fell to the ground without time to react. Delta sheathed his bow and pulled out his sword. Two guys came at him one with a spear and one with a sword. Delta blocked a thrust from the spearman and used that to block an incoming swing from the swordsman. With a reverse swing Delta cut the man with the spear across the stomach and then he ducked a blow from the swordsman and then stabbed him there as well. Both of them died within minutes.

During his encounter Delta hadn't noticed a man coming up behind him until a spear was thrown at him. Delta looked at the man and then at the man who had thrown it. Chan had joined the fray and now was battling three guys with swords. Delta turned his attention to five guys who were advancing on him. One had a club, three had spears and one had a sword.

Delta was ready for them. The man with the club charged Delta and Delta sidestepped the swing easily. He grabbed the club and with the man's momentum knocked the three spearmen off their feet. Then Delta released the man and he ran into the man who had the sword. This knocked him down. Before they could recover Delta killed all three of the spearmen and then advanced on the swordsman. The two of them faced off. Delta exchanged blows with him and knew this guy could handle himself.

It was during this duel that made Delta realize that although he was a great fighter from his village, he had no experience of fighting outside his village. But he wasn't about to let this man win and kill him. Delta eventually found a weakness and killed the man with a quick thrust of his sword. The duel left Delta panting heavily but he knew he had to keep fighting.

Chan had taken out the three swordsmen who had advanced upon him. He saw Delta take on five other guys and knew he could handle himself. The number of raiders had been reduced almost by half. Just then four more guys ran at Chan. He blocked and dodged the swings that went for him he then moved in on two of them and managed to kill them without too much difficulty.

The other two had spears and therefore had a longer reach than Chan did with his sword. He rolled to the ground as they both of them thrust their spears at the same time. Chan was close enough that he cut through the legs of one of the spearmen and he fell to the ground. Chan then rolled so that he hit the legs of the other spearmen and this brought him down. Chan pulled his knife out and killed him.

While he was fighting these men Chan saw that Delta had taken care of six others and that only five men remained.

When they saw that there were only five of them left, the four non-benders fled towards the southern part the forest.

"COWARDS," bellowed the man who was wearing the black uniform.

"Chan make sure those guys don't escape and see if you can take one alive." Delta shouted to Chan.

"What about you?" Chan asked. "I'll handle this."

Chan nodded and turned to run down the four guys who were running for their lives towards the woods.


End file.
